Stropping-machine for razors.



A. J. POSTANS.

. STROPPING MACHINE FOR RAZORS.

APPLICIATION FILED JAN.13, 1911.

1,021,795. I I Patented Apr.2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,.

Witnesses: Inventor.

W b v y A. J. POSTANS;

'S'IROPPING MAGHINE FOB. RAZORS.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

APPLICATION FILED JA-N.13,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

n3 i m we Inventor.-

Witnefiaea; I

ARTHURJAMES POS-TANS, 0F BRENTFORD, ENGLAND.

STROPPING-MACHINE FOR RAZORS.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed January 13, 1911.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 602,384.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ARTHUR JAMES POSTANS, a subject of the King ofEngland, residing at Brentford, Middlesex, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Stropping- Machines for Razors,of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to stropping machinesfor razors and has particular reference to a machine I for stropping theloose blades of safety razors.

In carrying out this invention there is employed with opposed stroppingsurfaces that travel in a direction transverse to the blade during theoperation of the machine, a carrier for the blade that is automaticallyreciprocated to bring all parts of the edge of the blade into contactwith the stropping surfaces.

Preferably the stropping surfaces take the form of opposed disksoperating simultaneously upon opposite sides of the blade.

As a feature of the invention mechanism is employed whereby the disks orstropping surfaces are automatically moved toward each other when themachine is driven in the direction for stropping and away from eachother when the direction of drive is reversed.

This is shown as effected by mounting the disks or stropping members onpivoted arms or supports and driving them by gearing so arranged thatwhen the gearing is driving them in one direction it tends to thrust thesupports together and when it drives them in the reverse direction ittends to thrust the supports apart.

An important feature of this invention is that it includes constructionsadapted to sharpen blades having either straight or curved edges. Thisresult is accomplished by means of relatively movable bladeposiillustrate a machine embodying this invent1on:F1gure 1 is aperspective view of the machine viewed from the front of the disks andwith the parts in stropping position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the machine viewed from the rear of thedisks and with jthe parts in position for removing or introducing theblade; and Fig. 3 illustrates one of the well-known Gillette, blades ofribbon material.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

On a base A, two vertical supports B, C,

1 are pivoted about horizontalaxes w ac and y y respectively. The upperportions B C of the supports provide bearings for spindles B C Thespindle B carries at one end a stropping disk D of leather that ismounted between two metal plates D D At the other end of the spindle isa skew toothed gear-wheel D One end of the spindle C 'similarly carriesa leather stropping disk E mounted be-- tween two metal disks E E and atthe other end of the spindle is a skew toothedgear-wheel E y Inperpendicular standards A A on the base A a shaft F is rotatablymounted. This shaft is disposed at right angles to the spindles B C andcarries skew toothed gear-wheels F F that mesh with the wheels D Erespectively.

The blade carrier includes an L-shaped blade-supporting arm H and ablade-positioning bar G which carries the arm H. The positioning bar orcontrolling bar G is mounted to slide in a guide block A (Fig.

'1) on the base A. The edges of the positioning bar G are beveled andengage a cor respondingly undercut guideway in the guide block A Theoverhanging arm H constitutes a support for the razor-blade which may beof the well-known Gillette type shown in Fig. 3 and for this purpose hason it two studs H for engaging the orifices H with which these-bladesare-pros vided.

That end of the sliding positioning bar G remote from the arm H has anupwardly directed portion G provided with a slot G This slot engages theshank of a screw J 1 that is carried by a toothed wheel J, which withthe screw J constitutes a crank wheel.

'The wheel J is pivotally carried on a boss .A formed on one side of thestandard A Carried by the shaft F and meshing with the wheel J is asmaller toothed wheel or pinion F The shaft F has at one end of it anoperating handle F The operation of this machine is as follows:Presuming the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 where the disksD and E are separated, the blade is placed on the carrier by causing theorifices H to engage with the studs H This can be easily done while thedisks are separated as plenty of room is afforded for manipulating theblade. The handle F is then rotated in the direc tion of the arrow, Fig.l, which is the stropping direction and the first movement of the wheelsF F carried by the shaft F causes the pivoted or hinged supports B and(l to move toward each other, turning about their axes as and y. Thismovement is due to the skew teeth of the gearing, the obliquity of theteeth F being opposed to that of the teeth F for the purpose of drivingthe disk D in the opposite direction to the disk E. This obliquity,however, in addition to enabling the teeth to mesh with the opposedwheels D and E sets up a cam action so that the wheels D and E receivelateral thrust one toward the other, and as the supports B and C easilyswing over, these will be moved before the wheels commence to rotate andthus the disks D and E will be moved toward each other and made to bearwith effective stropping pressure against 0pposite sides of the bladethat is to be stropped. To insure that no rotation shall take placebefore the supports have been swung toward each other, spring tongues Band C are employed. The tongue B is secured by a screw B to the supportB and its free end enters a recess cut in the bearing B and pressesagainst the spindle B Similarly the spring tongue C is secured by ascrew C to the support C and its free end enters a recess out in thebearing C and presses against the spindle C It will be seen that thetongues B C act as friction devices whose friction must be overcomebefore the spindles B and C can be rotated and consequently the supports13 and C must be displaced to the limit of their movement before thespindles will commence to rotate. The movement of the supports isarrested by the contact of the disks D and E with the blade when theblade is in position or with one another if the machine is drivenwithout a blade having been inserted. Should the handle F 4 be rotatedin the reverse direction as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2, it will beseen that the skew gearing will operate in the same manner as before butin the reverse sense, that is to say the supports B and C will beimmediately swung back away from each other, the spindles B and Cmeanwhile being stationary as regards rotation. It is thus impossible tocut the strop as a backward drive immediately stops the rotation of thedisks and separates them, though if the backward drive be continuedafter the supports have reached the limit of their movement away fromeach other, the disks will be rotated idly in the direct-ion reverse tothat for stropping. The outward movement of the support B is limited bya stop 13 which takes the form of a headed pin that extends through anorifice in the support and is carried by a stud B on the base plate A.The outward movement of the support C is limited by the toothed wheel Ebeing brought against the standard A If desired, as indicated by itsshoulder shown in broken lines (Fig. 2) the stud B may also be employedto limit the inward movement of the support B so that the plane occupiedby the contacting portions of the disks D and E may always approximatelycorrespond to that occupied by the blade on the carrier H.

It will be understood that no stop in such case would be provided tolimit the inward movement of the support C, the latter being thus leftfree to bring the stropping disk E into proper operative relation withthe other stropping disk D, the inward movement of the disk E beinglimited by the disk D or by the razor blade bet-ween these disks, as thecase may be.

It is to be noted that the sliding positioning bar G corresponds in formto the edge of the blade, that is for example, in the blade shown (Fig.3) the edge being straight the sliding bar G is also correspondinglystraight, and whatever form the blade edge may have this rule applies,the sliding positioning bar being always correspondingly shaped inreference to the shape or contour of the edge of the razor-blade. In themachine illustrated in the drawings the straight sliding bar G of theblade carrier is reciprocated from the shaft F by means of the pinion Fgear J and crank J and is guided in the guide block A to guide thestraight edge of the blade H between the stropping disks D, E, accordingas the sliding bar G is straight and is controlled or guided by theguide blocks A Vere the carrier bar of a different shape other thanstraight it would be guided accordingly to correspondingly guide asimilarly shaped raz0r-blade.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two stroppingmember supports movable to and from operative position, stroppingmembers movably mounted one on each support and having their stroppingfaces opposed to each other, driving means for the stropping members,the driving means including means whereby drivposition and driving inthe reverse direction moves the supports to bring the members intonon-operative position, and a carrier positioned to hold a razor-bladewith its edge between and in contact with both stropping memberssimultaneously, substantially as set forth. e

2. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportsmovable t0 and from operative position, stropping members movablymounted one on each support and having their stropping faces opposed toeach other, driving means for the stropping members, the driving meansi11- cluding means whereby driving in one 'direction moves the supportsto bring the stropping members into operative position and driving inthe reverse direction moves the supports to bring the members intononoperative position, a movable carrier positioned'to hold arazor-blade with its edge between and in contact with both stroppingmembers simultaneously, a guide for the carrier to cause the carrier tomove the blade lengthwise across the stropping members,

7 and means for automatically reciprocating the carrier on the guide,substantially as set forth. 1

3. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportsmovable to and from each other, stropping members movably mounted one oneach support and having their stropping faces opposed to each other,driving means for the stropping members, the driving means includingmeans whereby driving in one direction moves the supports to bring thestropping members together and driving in the reverse direction movessuch supports to separate the members, and a carrier positioned to holda razor-blade with its edge between and in contact with both stroppingmembers si multaneously, substantially as set forth.

4. In a stropping machine for razors the combinationof, two supportsmovable to and from each other, stropping members movably mounted one oneach support and having their stropping faces opposed to each other,driving means for the stropping members, the driving means includingmeans whereby driving in one direction moves the supports to bring thestropping members together and driving in the reverse direction movesthe supports to separate such members, am0vable carrier positioned tohold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contact with bothstropping members simultaneously, a guide for the carrier to cause thecarrier to move the blade lengthwise across the stropping members, andmeans for automatically reciprocating the carrier on the guide,substantially as set forth.

5. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two movablesupports, stropping disks rotatably mounted one on each support withtheir edges opposed to each other, a carrier positioned to hold arazor-blade with its edgebetween and in contact with the edges of bothdisks simultaneously, driving means to rotate the strop ping disks, thedriving means including means whereby driving in one direction moves thesupports to bring the disks toward each other and against the blade anddriving in the reverse direction moves the supports to separate thedisks from the blade and from each other, substantially as set forth. 6.In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two movablesupports,

stropping disks rotatably mounted one on each support with their edgesopposed to :each other, a movable carrier positioned to hold arazor-blade with its edge between and in contact with the edges of bothdisks simultaneously, driving means to rotate the stropping disks, thedriving means including means whereby driving in one direction -movesthe supports to bring the disks toward each other and against the bladeand driving in the reverse direction moves the supports to separate thedisks from the blade and from each other, a guide for the carrier tocause the carrier to move the blade lengthwise across the stroppingmembers, and means for automatically reciprocating the carrier on theguide, substantially as set ,forth.

7. In a stroppingmachine for razors the combination of, two support-smovable to .and from each other, stropping disks rota-- tably mountedone on each support the edge of one disk being toward the edge of theother and the planes of the two disks being disposed parallel to theplanes in which the supports move, gear-wheels carried one by eachsupport and having operative connection with the disk carried by suchsupport each wheel having its axis transverse to the direction ofmovement of the support, driving wheels carried by a part fixedrelatively to the supports and so disposed that by meshing with the gearwheels on the supports they can rotate the same and simul taneouslyimpart thrust to the supports through the wheels to move them toward oraway from each other the direction of movementimparted, to each supportdepending upon the direction of drive imparted to its gear wheel, meansfor rotating the driving wheels to lmpart rotation slmultaneously 1n.

disks simultaneously, substantially as described. a

8. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportsmovable to and from each other, stropping disks rotatably mounted one oneach support the edge of one disk being toward the edge of the other andthe planes of the two disks being disposed parallel to the planes .inwhich the supports move, gear-wheels carried one by each support andhaving operative connection with the disk carried by such support eachwheel having its axis transverse to the direction of movement of thesupport, driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to thesupports and so disposed that by meshing with the gear wheels on thesupports they can rotate the same and simultaneously impart thrust tothe supports through the wheels to move them toward or away from eachother the direction of movement imparted to each support de pending uponthe direction of drive imparted to its gear-wheel, means for rotatingthe driving wheels to impart rotation simultaneously in reversedirections to the gearwheels carried by the supports, a carrierpositioned to hold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contactwith the stropping edges of both disks simultaneously, a guide for thecarrier so disposed that in traveling along it the carrier will causethe blade to move in a direction transverse to that of the disks whenstropping, and means for automatically reciprocating the carrier on theguide, substantially as set forth.

9. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportsmovable to and from each other, stropping disks rotatably mounted one oneach support the edge of one disk being toward the edge of the other andthe planes of the two disks being disposed parallel to the planes inwhich the supports move, gear-wheels carried one by each support andhaving operative connection with the disk carried by such support eachwheel having its axis transverse to the direction of movement of thesupport, driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to thesupports and having their axes of rotation at right angles to the axesof rotation of the gear-wheels but meshing therewith in such positionthat they can rotate the gear-wheels and simultaneously impart thrust tothe supports through the wheels to move them toward or away from eachother, the direction of movement imparted to each support depending uponthe direction of drive imparted to its gear-wheel, means for rotatingthe driving wheels to impart rotation simultaneously in reversedirections to the gear-wheels on the supports, and a carrier positionedto hold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contact with thestropping edges of both disks simultaneously, substantially as setforth.

10. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportsmovable to and from each other, stropping disks rotatably mounted one oneach support the edge of one disk being toward the edge of the other andthe planes of the two disks being disposed parallel to the planes inwhich the supports move, gear-wheels carried one by each support andhaving operative connection with the disk carried by such support eachwheel having its axis transverse to the direction of movement of thesupport, driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to thesupports and having their axes of rotation at right angles to the axesof rotation of the gear-wheels but meshing therewith in such positionthat they can rotate the gear-wheels and simultaneously impart thrust tothe supports through the wheels to move them toward or away from eachother, the direction of movement imparted to each support depending uponthe direction of drive imparted to its gear-wheel, means for rotatingthe driving wheels to impart rotation simultaneously in reversedirections to the gearwheels on the supports, a carrier positioned tohold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contact with thestropping edges of both disks simultaneously, a guide for the carrier sodisposed that in traveling along it the carrier will cause the blade tomove in a direction transverse to that of the stropping members, andmeans for automatically reciprocating the carrier on the guide,substantially as set forth.

11. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportsmovable to and from each other, stropping disks rotatably mounted one oneach support the edge of one disk being toward the edge of the other andthe planes of the two disks being disposed parallel to the planes inwhich the supports move, a right-handed skew-toothed gear-wheel carriedby one support and having operative connection with the disk carried bysuch support the axis of rotation of the wheel being transverse to thedirection of movement of the support, a lefthanded skew-toothedgear-wheel carried by the other support and having operative connectionwith the disk carried thereby, the wheel having its axis transverse tothe direction of movement of the support, right and left-handedskew-toothed driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to thesupports and so disposed that by each meshing with its respectivegear-wheel on the supports they can rotate the same and simultaneouslyimpart thrust to the supports through the wheels to move them toward oraway from each other the direction of movement imparted to the supportsdepending upon the direction of rotation of the driving wheels, meansfor imparting rotary movecombination of, two supports movable to andfrom each other, stropping disks rotatably mounted one oneach supportthe edge of one disk being toward the edge of the other and the planesof the two disks being disposed parallel to the planes in which thesupports move, gear-wheels carried one by each support and havingoperative connection with the disk carried by such support each wheelhaving its axis transverse to the direction of movement of the support,driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to the supports and sodisposed that by meshing with the gear wheels'on the supports they canrotate the same and simultaneously impart thrust to the supports throughthe wheels to move them toward ,or away from each other the direction ofmovement imparted to each support depending upon the direction of driveimparted to its gear-wheel, means for rotating the driving wheels toimpart rotation simultaneously in reverse directions to the gearwheelscarried by the supports, a retarding device for one of the rotatableparts carried by one of the supports, and a carrier positioned to hold arazor-blade with its edge between and in contact with the stroppingedges of both disks simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

13. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportspivoted so that their free ends can swing toward each other, stroppingdisks rotatably mounted one on the free end of each support the edge ofone disk being toward the edge of the other and the planes of the twodisks being disposed parallel to the planes in which the supports swing,gear-wheels carried one on the free end of each support and havingoperative connection with the disk carried by such support each wheelhaving its axis transverse to the direction of swing of the support,driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to the supports and sodisposed that they mesh with that side of the gear-wheels which isremote from the p1vots about which the supports swing, means forrotating the driving wheels to impart rotation simultaneously in reversedirections to the gear-wheels carried by the supports, and a. carrierpositioned to hold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contactwith the stropping edges ,of bothdisks simultaneously, substantially asset forth.

14. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportspivoted so that their free ends can swing toward each other, stroppingdisks rotatably mounted one on the free end of each support the edge ofone disk being toward the edge of the other and the planes of the twodisks being disposed parallel to the planes in which the supports move,a right-handed skew-toothed gear-wheel carried at the free end of onesupport and having operative connection with the disk carried by suchsupport the wheel having its axis transverse to the direction of swingof the support, a left-handed skewtocthed gear-wheel carried at the freeend of the other support and having operative connection with the diskcarried by such support the wheel having its axis transverse to thedirection of swing of the support, skewtoothed driving wheels one rightand the other left-handed carried by a part fixed relatively to thesupports and so disposed that they mesh with that side of the gearwheelson the supports that is remote from the pivots of the supports, meansfor rotating the driving wheels simultaneously in one direction, and acarrier positioned to hold a razor-blade with its edge between and incontact with the stropping edges of both disks simultaneously,substantially as set forth.

15. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, two supportspivoted so that their free ends can swing to and from each other,spindles rotatably mounted one in the free end of each support theiraxes of rotation being transverse to the direction of swing of thesupports, stropping disks fixed one on each spindle the edge of one diskbeing toward the edge of the other, gearwheels fixed one-on eachspindle, driving wheels carried by a part fixed relatively to thesupports and so disposed that by meshing with the gear wheels on thesupports they can rotate the same and simultaneously impart thrust tothe supports through the wheels to swing them toward or away from eachother the direction of movement imparted to each support depending uponthe direction of drive imparted to its gearwheel, means for rotating thedriving wheels to impart rotation simultaneously in reverse directionsto the gear-wheels carried by the supports, and a carrier positioned tohold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contact with thestropping edges of both disks simultaneously, substantially as setforth.

16. In a stropping machine for razors the combination of, a base, twoupright supports pivoted to the base at their lower ends so that theirfree ends can swing to and from each other, spindles rotatably mountedone in the free end of each support the axis of rotation of the spindlesbeing transverse to the path of swing of the supports, stropping disksmounted fast one on each spindle the edge of one disk being toward theedge of the other, gear-wheels mounted fast one on each spindle, a shaftsupported from the base and situated with its axis of rotationtransverse to the axes of the spindles, driving wheels on this shaft sodisposed that by meshing with the gear-wheels on the supports they canrotate the same and simultaneously impart thrust to the supports throughthe wheels to swing them toward or away from each other the direction ofmovement imparted to each support depending upon the direction of driveimparted to its gear wheel, means for rotating the shaft to impartrotation simultaneously in reverse directions to the gear-wheels carriedby the supports, a third gear-Wheel mounted on the shaft, a toothedcrank-wheel meshing with this third gear-wheel, a movable carrierpositioned to hold a razor-blade with its edge between and in contactwith the stropping edges of both disks simultaneously, a guide for thecarrier, and a connection between the carrier and the crank-wheel toreciprocate the carrier on the guide, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR JAMES POSTANS. lVitnesses A. M. HAYWARD, HARRY B. BRIDGES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

